Mediterranean spring chicken orzo
Serves: 4-6
Prep time: 25 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Martin Poole
Mediterranean spring chicken orzo
All the fresh, vibrant flavours of the Mediterranean in a super easy one-pot. Plate it up, or simply pop the finished dish in the centre of the table and let everyone tuck in
Serves: 4-6
Prep time: 25 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
696Kcal
Fat
20gr
Saturates
5gr
Carbs
55gr
Sugars
12gr
Fibre
8gr
Protein
70gr
Salt
2.6gr
Sarah Akhurst
Our Food Director Sarah is a food obsessive, and spends most of her time scoping out the latest food trends, experimenting in her own kitchen, or making her family wait to eat while she photographs every dinner she makes for the 'gram! A complete Middle Eastern food junkie, she is never far from a good shawarma marinade, a pinch of Aleppo chilli or a sprig of dill
See more of Sarah Akhurst’s recipes
Sarah Akhurst
Our Food Director Sarah is a food obsessive, and spends most of her time scoping out the latest food trends, experimenting in her own kitchen, or making her family wait to eat while she photographs every dinner she makes for the 'gram! A complete Middle Eastern food junkie, she is never far from a good shawarma marinade, a pinch of Aleppo chilli or a sprig of dill
See more of Sarah Akhurst’s recipes
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- a 1.5kg whole chicken
- 2 echalion shallots, sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- 1 tbsp sundried tomato paste
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 peppers (yellow and orange), sliced
- 400g tomatoes, roughly chopped
- zest of 1 lemon
- 700ml chicken stock, made with 1 stock pot or cube
- 250g orzo pasta
- 1 x 400g tin artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
- 20 pitted green olives
- 30g Parmesan, finely grated, plus extra to serve
- a handful of fresh basil, roughly chopped, plus extra leaves to serve
Step by step
- Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4. Heat the oil in a large, lidded casserole and brown the chicken all over until it’s nice and golden. Set aside on a plate.
- Add the shallots to the pan and fry gently for a couple of minutes to soften, before adding the garlic. Fry for a further minute, then stir through the tomato paste and oregano and continue to cook for a couple of minutes. Add the peppers, tomatoes and lemon zest and cook for a couple of minutes. Push the vegetables around the side of the casserole, then return the chicken to the centre of the pan. Slowly add the stock and bring to a simmer on the hob. Cover with the lid and transfer to the oven for 1 hour.
- Remove from the oven and add the orzo, stirring it through the stock and veg and then replace the lid. Return to the oven for another 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and stir the orzo, which should be plump and just tender. Add the artichokes and olives, then sprinkle the surface of the chicken with the Parmesan. Return to the oven for 10 minutes, until the Parmesan has melted. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 10 minutes.
- Carefully remove the chicken from the pan, it will fall apart easily so make sure you remove it all. Strip the meat from the leg bones and then carve the breast. Return the shredded leg meat to the pan and stir it through the orzo with the fresh basil. Season to taste. Serve topped with the breast slices and extra Parmesan and basil.
